Infectious diseases are the main cause of morbidity and mortality accounting for a third of the deaths which occur in the world each year. In addition, infectious agents are directly responsible for at least 15% of new cancers, and they also seemed to be involved in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases (e.g. inflammatory, vascular and degenerative diseases). The main strategies used to prevent infectious diseases are therapy and prophylaxis. Prophylaxis comprises inter alia vaccination or other preventive medicinal treatment of infectious disease focussed on e.g. inhibiting viral replication in infected cells or reducing the number of copies of a virus in cells infected with the virus or other types of microorganisms or preventing infection of the cells, namely the binding and entry into the host cells.
Various strategies and compounds have been described to be useful for preventing or treating infectious diseases. For example, anti-viral properties of 1,6-naphthyridine and 7,8-dihydroisoquinoline derivatives having activity against human cytomegalovirus are described in Bedard Y., et al., Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, April 2000, pages 929-937. Therein, it is demonstrated that these 1,6-naphthyridine and isoquinoline analogs exhibit a high level of anti human cytomegalovirus activity. It is speculated by Bedard et al., that the naphthyridine derivative were affecting events at the early and late stage of a virus application.
Further, WO 2004/056824 discloses fungicides and fungicidal compositions of naphthyridine derivatives. In addition, WO 2004/083207 discloses antibacterials, namely naphthyridine derivatives, useful in methods of prophylaxis and treatment of bacterial infections. Also, other heterocyclic aromatic compounds are known having anti infective activity.
However, there is still an ongoing need for new compounds being highly specific with low toxicity allowing treating or preventing infectious diseases. In particular, in view of the emergence of drug-resistant strains, it is essential to provide new compounds with anti-infective, e.g. anti-viral activity. Thus, the present invention provides new compounds useful for treating or preventing infectious diseases, in particular, of viral, bacterial parasitic and fungal infections.
The present invention addresses the need for further compounds exhibiting enhanced anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal activities. That is, the present invention addresses to provide compounds useful in the prevention or treatment of various diseases, disorders and conditions. The invention provides new uses of compounds which specifically interact with carbohydrate molecules being present on the cell surface of host cells.